The West Hartford Fire Department responded to the scene of a kitchen fire on Kane Street on Sunday afternoon.

By Ronni Newton

A fire in the kitchen of a condominium unit on the fourth floor of a residential building on Kane Street was quickly extinguished by members of the West Hartford Fire Department on Sunday afternoon, with the blaze contained to the unit of origin.

There were no injuries, but two adults were displaced and Chief Greg Priest said that a feline pet was being evaluated by a local veterinarian as a precaution.

The report was received by West Hartford Public Safety Dispatch at 12:46 p.m. Sunday and the first units arrived at 12:49 p.m., Priest said.

Upon arrival, responders noted moderate smoke on the fourth floor, and discovered an active fire in the kitchen of a unit. The blaze was quickly knocked down, and reported under control by 1:02 p.m. It did not spread beyond the unit of origin.

While all occupants of the unit where the fire occurred safely evacuated, an occupant of an adjacent. unit was evaluated for minor illness, officials said, but declined transport to the hospital. Firefighters had also searched adjacent condominium units, and while no other residents were found to be in danger or injured, “several apartments nearby were found with occupants sheltering in place,” officials said.

Four of the five West Hartford fire companies responded to the scene, as did West Hartford Police and American Medical Response.

The unit where the fire originated has been deemed uninhabitable by the West Hartford Building Department, and the Red Cross is assisting the occupants. The cause is under investigation by the West Hartford Fire Marshal’s Office.

Priest said he “deeply appreciate[s] the partnership and response of the American Red Cross who minimizes the impact,” of what is an impactful and emotional event.

“I would like to commend the West Hartford Fire Department and our other responding agencies on a job well done,” Priest said. “This is the second kitchen fire in a few days where a fast and efficient response to a multi-unit occupancy lent to the rapid containment of fire to the apartment of origin. In my humble, but biased opinion, the excellent work of our firefighters and incident commanders is truly minimizing damage and injuries. Kudos to the crews who responded to Steven Street and Kane Street. Strong work on both scenes.”

The day of the most recent fire, Sunday, March 10, is the first day of daylight saving time – and the twice-yearly time change has long been used as the fire safety campaign “Change Your Clocks, Change Your Batteries,” urging people to change their smoke detector batteries.

“It is a good reminder, in the face of such an event, to remember that smoke detectors save lives, and changing batteries and testing smoke detectors is critical,” Priest said. “More information about smoke detectors and fire prevention programs can be found on the NFPA website.

Courtesy of West Hartford Fire Department

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